These private companies would go on to invest roughly $32 billion into maintaining the nation’s military housing stock, helping to build 75,000 new homes and renovate another 50,000, according to a coalition of military housing companies.

But in exchange for their investment, these companies pushed for contracts that would ensure their involvement for decades—often 50 years—and lock the government into favorable terms that now shield the companies from having to adhere to new tenant protections established since these contracts were originally drafted. (Among the legal agreements obtained by POGO, most aren’t set to expire until the 2050s.)